Chapter 1

On Christmas Eve, I decided to surprise my husband by coming home three days early.

To my surprise, I bumped into him on the street, and he was carrying a kid in his arms.

"Daddy, I miss Mommy," the child said.

With tears in my eyes, I grabbed my husband and demanded, "I've never been pregnant, so whose kid is this?"

But he shoved me to the ground.

"This kid is from me and my ex. If you want to be my wife, you need to be more accepting!" he said.

Staring at his cold and emotionless face, I suddenly felt utterly exhausted.

"I'm done. I want a divorce," I said.

He froze for a moment, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"Please, don't leave me," he pleaded.

"Just tell me the truth. Whose kid is this? And why is she calling you 'Daddy'?" I demanded.

"I was gone for three years, and now you just drop a kid on me? Misael, you sure know how to pull a stunt, making me a mom without even asking," I snapped.

I pointed at the child, my face twisted with anger.

Sofie timidly hid behind Misael Cohen

It was just after school, and a crowd had gathered at the kindergarten gate. As soon as they caught wind of the drama, everyone flocked over to watch.

Misael looked like he wanted to snap back, but with all these people watching, he had to bite his tongue and hold it in.

"Can you just talk to me without blowing up? Why are you making such a scene? You're scaring the kid," he said.

Sofie's big eyes were brimming with tears, and I felt a stab of guilt, but Misael's attitude just made me fume inside.

"Do you really expect me to just talk this out calmly after all this?" I shot back.

"How long have you been hiding this from me? This kid looks three or four years old, so you were cheating on me even before we got married?" I snapped.

"Who is that bitch? Get her out here right now!" I demanded.

Before I could finish, my usually calm husband suddenly stood up and shoved me hard.

"Hana, I won't let you talk about her mom like that," he snapped.

I stumbled and fell to the ground.

Sofie dashed out from behind Misael and yelled, "You're a bad person! I don't like you!"

As I landed hard on the ground, the crowd gasped in shock.

"This guy is really horrible. He cheated, had a kid with someone else, and now he's actually hitting his wife in public!" someone in the crowd cried out.

I couldn't hold it together anymore. All my frustration and exhaustion just crashed down on me at once.

Just then, a young woman rushed over and scooped up the crying Sofie into her arms.

Misael shot her a grateful look, and she gave him a knowing smile.

That little exchange between them made my blood boil. I scrambled to my feet and grabbed the woman by the collar.

"You've got some nerve, homewrecker! I'm right here, and you're already making eyes at my husband in front of everyone?" I snapped.

Her face flushed bright red, and she ducked behind Misael for cover, clutching Sofie close.

"You've got it all wrong. I'm not the other woman," she protested.

"Oh really? Then why are you acting so nervous?" I shot back.

I kept a tight grip on her collar, determined to get some answers.

"You're so young and pretty. How could you stoop so low?" I snapped.

Seeing me getting more and more worked up, Misael pried us apart, his face darkening as he snapped at me, "Can you not make a scene? She's just the kindergarten teacher!"

I shot Misael a look of pure contempt.

"Yeah right. Wouldn't be the first time a kindergarten teacher got famous for wrecking a home," I sneered.

Just then, Estelle Cohen, Misael's mother, hurried over, clutching a basket full of veggies.

"Hana, why do you look so pale? Come on, let's go home and celebrate Christmas," she said.

I yelled, furious, "Wow, Estelle, you really don't care, do you? Your son went and had a kid with someone else behind my back. How am I supposed to celebrate Christmas after this?"

Estelle tried to play peacemaker.

"Hana, don't get worked up. Come home with me first," she said.

She reached out to take my hand.

Seeing how she reacted, it suddenly hit me. "You knew about this kid all along, didn't you?" I demanded.

Estelle paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes, but my son has never done you wrong," Estelle said.

The kindergarten teacher chimed in quickly, "Estelle's right. Seriously, you're misunderstanding everything."

Someone in the crowd couldn't take it anymore and called her out.

"Come on, you're old enough to know better. Even if you want to cover for your son, you can't just straight-up lie. Didn't we all just hear that little girl call him 'Daddy'?" one person said.

"Exactly! Like mother, like son. Both of you are totally out of line, no decency at all!" another chimed in.

Misael's anger was boiling over as the crowd kept piling on.

He shouted, "If you've got a problem, come at me. Leave my mom and Joyce out of this. They've done nothing wrong."

All the proof was right there for everyone to see.

I never thought Misael would shamelessly stand up for that side chick and his secret kid, not even caring about saving face.